Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa 375 solid bullet recommendations

Not on your list, but these are available at Midway:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010852860?pid=547354

Thank you!

It's your hunt. Your PHs favorite ammo will be whatever is on your belt because he's hoping that you will give them to you on your way out. Besides; PH's can't agree on what's best between themselves. Why would you think that you stumbled on the one that was right?

Solids suck, unless you're hunting elephant.

Pretty interesting data point - for the first time, without my even mentioning it, the owner/PH noted to not bother bringing solids for my next Buff hunt. Didn't matter whether I'm bringing the 9.3 or the .375.

His preference is for quality bonded bullets. He didn't mention mono's.

I wonder if age plays a role in it. He's the youngest PH that I'll be hunting with - early 40-ish.

My experience (and from the experience of others that have said the same thing to me), with the advent of good tough expanding bullets that can't break up, the use of expanding bullets trumps the use of solids on buffalo, hippo and even elephant.

With a Barnes TSX, or a Swift A-Frame I'd expect at least as good (or probably better) results on buffalo then with any solid you can buy today. Some good mono-solids might be nice to have along in case you need to run a few through from the south end of a north bound buff after the 1d st shot, but overall I'd prefer the expanding bullets I just named.
Unless you strike the spinal column or brain buff seem never to drop at the first shot, so some solids in the mag may be good, but that is not as "written on tablets of stone" as it was in the 70s and previously. The new expanding solids like the Barnes and the double bonded Swift A-Frame the 1st shot is likely to do the job, and you'll find the buff down after it's first run.

Since it's Tuesday, today I'm thinking of using the 9.3 and A-Frames in either 286 gr. or 300 gr.

No guarantees what Wednesday holds, since both cartridges are too much dang fun...

The Hornady 300 grain DGS solids have shot pretty well for me. They shoot within an inch of the point of impact of 300 grain TSX at 100 yards.

This.

But even some PHs I've hunted with have said elephants in at some areas can be easily handled with today's expanding bullets. I hunted in Tanzania's Selous in 2011, where elephants are somewhat smaller than in other parts of Africa, because the Selous is pretty hot during safari season. This follows the general biological Bergmann's Rule, which states that rhe same animals in cooler climates tend to be larger, and in warmer climates smaller.

I didn't hunt elephant, but did find those in the Selous smaller than I'd encountered in warmer parts of Africa. Which is why my very experienced PH Paddy Curtis says that any of today's better expanding bullets (including Nosler Partitions) are plenty for Selous bulls, whether for head or heart shots.

Small elephants are BIG.

Small elephants are aggressive. Cows and Forrest

A buddy booked a buff hunt for Moz in 2024 when we were at DSC. He is going to borrow my .375. How are the Hornady DGS for solids? They are in stock. Swift A-frames for the expanding bullets

I wouldn't use TSX on dangerous game at all. I had used them exclusively on everything since 2005 until a lion hunt in Zim in 2018. Little to no expansion on the 300 gr TSX in my 3-7-5 H&H, kinda looked more like solids.

The recovered 3-7-5 bullets (eland & buff) looked so bad my PH wanted me to use my .300 Win 180 gr TSX on the lion instead of my 3-7-5 as we knew those (recovered) 180 gr TSX expanded. He didn't trust the 3-7-5 TSX to open up on a lion.

He made a comment that perhaps Barnes had changed up the alloy as they were great when they first came out, but the more recent ones (around the time) disappointed.

Gone to A Frames for DG in my 3-7-5 H&H and .500 NE. That said, I also had Cutting Edge solids with me and used them on a giraffe but did not use them on buff.

FWIW A Frames and the CEBs shot into the same hole at 100y.

I have one extra box of 375 H&H Sledgehammer rounds I could spare. If you are interested, please contact me.
Jim

As a few others here have said, I’d just use your 270TSX’s and not worry about a thing. The first shot is the one that counts. Put it in the right place and your buff will die quickly. Good luck on your hunt!

I have some 375 cal. solids that I’d be willing to sell if anyone is interested.

rolly
what do you have? how many and how much?.....if you would rather ..pm me......you also jim...bob

If you are hunting buffalo, you don't need solids..

Jorge....thats true...I use A-Frames.....I will be needing solids for an upcoming elephant hunt....if that was directed to me......bob

Bob, we are snowbirds and won’t be home for a few weeks but I offered them for sale some months ago and that list should be still listed in the classifieds. I was just asking for what I had in them plus shipping. See if you can find my ad. My memory is gone. CRS disease. Should be posted over my name. Rolly

ok...I wont be home till around the 15th march....bob

rolly....are we talking loaded factory ammo?.....bob